A cultural history of the purse [timeline]

In conducting research for The Things She Carried: A Cultural History of the Purse in America, Kathleen B. Casey discovered how one everyday object—the purse—could function as a portal to the past. She encountered purses in museum collections, photo albums, advertisements, trial transcripts, and much more.

Here are some highlights she discovered in the cultural history of the purse.

_{Featured image provided by Kathleen B. Casey.}